At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. Then, late at night, several glorious deities of the Satullapa Group, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, and stood to one side. Standing to one side, one deity recited this verse in the Buddha’s presence:

“Among humans there are no sensual pleasures that are permanent.
Here there are desirable things, bound to which,
drunk on which, there’s no coming back.
That person doesn’t return here from Death’s domain.”

“Misery is born of desire; suffering is born of desire;
when desire is removed, misery is removed;
when misery is removed, suffering is removed.”

“The world’s pretty things aren’t sensual pleasures.
Greedy intention is a person’s sensual pleasure.
The world’s pretty things stay just as they are,
but a sage removes desire for them.

You should give up anger and get rid of conceit,
and get past all the fetters.
Sufferings don’t torment the one who has nothing,
not clinging to name and form.

Reckoning’s given up, conceit rejected;
craving for name and form is cut off right here.
They’ve cut the ties, untroubled and free of hope.
Though gods and humans search for them
both here and beyond, they never find them,
not in heaven nor in any abode.”

“If neither gods nor humans see one freed in this way
either here nor beyond,” said Venerable Mogharāja,
“are those who revere that best of men,
who lives for the good of mankind, also worthy of praise?”

“The mendicants who revere one freed in this way
are also worthy of praise, Mogharāja,” said the Buddha.
“But having understood the teaching and given up doubt,
those mendicants can get over clinging.”